1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition containing, as an active ingredient, a lens antigen or a microorganism capable of expressing said antigen. More particularly, the present invention relates to an inhibitor to the increase of antibodies against a lens protein. The present invention further relates to an agent for the therapy, prophylaxis or retardation of onset of cataract.
2. Description of Related Art
Cataract is a serious disease associated with gradual loss of eyesight caused by a lens which became opaque due to various factors. It comes out with a symptom of paropsis caused by the opacity of the lens.
Cataract has so far been treated by the administration of various pharmaceutical agents. However, administration of such agents is not entirely satisfactory, partly because the etiology of cataract has not been fully elucidated. Consequently, the treatment of cataract today ultimately relies on surgical one. The surgical treatment comprises either removal of lens nucleus and lens cortex to the outside of the membrane of the lens, or enucleation of the entire opaque lens out from the eye. However, surgical treatments often induce complications and they are burdensome to patients, since incision and suture of the cornea are inevitable even when operated with the state-of-the-art surgery technique.
To sum, the etiology of cataract has not been fully elucidated and agents for therapy thereof are not satisfactory. A surgical treatment accompanies great burden on patients.